Sunday, August 27, 2017

Sunday Journal Prompt

“Set wide the window. Let me drink the day.”

Edith Wharton

 
As summer comes to a close and September approaches, I find I’m spending more time outside to make the most of the warm days before fall temperatures set in: eating, gardening, running, walking—even napping.

On cooler days, we keep the windows open to let the breeze and sounds of nature flow through our home. Although I look forward to each season, it’s imminent arrival prompts me to make the most of the season that’s about to pass. 


How can you make the most of the season that’s about to pass?
 
 
 

Sunday, August 20, 2017

Sunday Journal Prompt

“What you see in an eclipse is entirely different from what you know.”

  Annie Dillard, “Total Eclipse,” The Atlantic, 1982


Too often, we are united with mankind through grief over tragedies such as terrorist attacks. But tomorrow people across America will have the opportunity to connect over nature—the first coast-to-coast solar eclipse in nearly a century. 

When I attend major sporting events, concert festivals or fireworks displays, the crowd’s energy amplifies mine. Tomorrow we have the chance to tap into the energy of a nation of folks who will observe this awe-inspiring event. For some, eclipses have been life-altering occurrences.


NASA has posted this video about how to make an eclipse viewer from a cereal box: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWMf5rYDgpc&feature=youtu.be


 How have you been awestruck by nature in the past? How can you make time to view the eclipse? 
 
 
 




 

Sunday, August 13, 2017

Sunday Journal Prompt

“Take responsibility for the energy you bring into a space.”

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, neuroanatomist, stroke survivor and author of My Stroke of Insight


When Harvard scientist Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor had a stroke that shut down her brain’s right hemisphere, she lost language, memories, a sense of the past and future, and her identity. She lived in the present and had an enormous awareness of the energy people brought into the room. When doctors talked to her mother instead of making eye contact and trying to connect with her, she felt devalued and didn’t want to show up for them—a lesson she now tries to instill in aspiring physicians.


The energy people carry with them can affect the moods and attitudes of others. When I’m around someone who inspires me, I feel my light brighten. Alternatively, if I come into a classroom feeling depleted, my students pick up on that and are not as engaged—which further drains me.
 
When this happens, I’m reminded to take care of myself not just for my own benefit but for the sake of others. If I’m stressed from overscheduling, tired due to staying up too late, wired from over-caffeinating or in pain from poor food choices (due to Crohn’s disease), that negative energy spirals from me to the people in my life and then back to me. Recharging myself through sleep, writing, yoga and meditation—and minimizing my time with energy drainers—helps me take responsibility for the energy I emanate as well as the energy that I absorb.


How can you take responsibility for the energy you emanate and receive?
 

Sunday, August 6, 2017

Sunday Journal Prompt

“True friends are always together in spirit.”

  L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables  


Today we dropped off our youngest child at a church camp he has attended for five years. Even though he sees his camp friends for just one week a year, they are very dear to him—people for whom he feels deep affection. Throughout the year, they text each other to touch base, share funny memories of past camp sessions or make plans for the next summer.

Last month while visiting my hometown, I had lunch with Susan, my mother’s best friend whom I inherited after my mom passed away. Even though I see her only one day a year, we have forged a beautiful friendship over the past twelve years and are wholeheartedly invested in each other’s lives. And I’ve only seen my oldest friend Seth three or four times since we were in eighth grade. Still, we have a special connection and offer each other support across miles and time. 



Have you felt a friendship transcend time and proximity? How might you (continue to) foster that connection?